2021-22 has been a breakout season for Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins became a crucial player for the Golden State Warriors this season, being named an All-Star for the first time in his career, that too as a starter.
And during these playoffs, he has stepped his game up to another level. Wiggins is playing like the superstar many thought he could have been when he was the first overall draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Charles Barkley believes Wiggins being selected first overall in 2014 served to his detriment. During his post-game analysis on Inside The NBA, Barkley noted that Wiggins being selected first overall overrated him, and caused him to crumble under the weight of expectation.
Now on the Warriors, Wiggins is the 4th or 5th best player, allowing him to play without any pressure and perform to the highest level, rather than the franchise player he was expected to be when he first came in (5:24 onwards):
Charles Barkley: “He got overrated because he was the number 1 pick in the draft. This is a great situation. When you’re the 4th or 5th best player on the team. When you’re number 1, people expect you to be a franchise player. He just really got screwed by this situation. Now, the train’s going to turn out fantastic for him. He was overrated because people thought ‘you’re the number 1 pick in the draft, you’re supposed to be Shaq, Hakeem, guys like that. But unfortunately, he’s not that guy. But this was a perfect landing spot.”
Wiggins was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers but was traded before he could play a game for Kevin Love. After a stint in Minnesota where he didn’t make too big a mark, the Timberwolves traded Wiggins to Golden State for them to land D’Angelo Russell. Since the trade, Wiggins has established himself as a very important player for them.
Barkley had an incredible start to the Inside The NBA broadcast, coming to the stage riding on top of a horse. During the broadcast, Barkley also said that he doesn’t care who wins the series, and just wants all of this to be over so he can take a vacation.
